Scan barcode
dmknott's review
4.0
A refreshing look at what it means to be a minimalist. Christine Platt makes a compelling argument for living with less — not from the perspective of tidying up or aestheticism, but from a place of inner discovery, self-worth, and mindful consumerism. She does this by providing background on the psychology of ownership and offering activities for reflecting on why you may be prone to emotional spending. Her particular attention on how maximalism negatively affects members of the African diaspora and other marginalized groups brings color to a traditionally white space.
Her mantra? "We only have what we need, use, and love."
While I'm not quite ready to be a minimalist, I'm ready to part with my maximalist ways.
Her mantra? "We only have what we need, use, and love."
While I'm not quite ready to be a minimalist, I'm ready to part with my maximalist ways.
thisreadingcorner's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
4.0
I have followed Christine Platt, formerly The Afrominimalist, for several years now. Like Christine, I hit a plateau in my curiosity about minimalism after skipping past self-reflection straight to Pinterest boards of aesthetically pleasing homes and wardrobes dominated by wealthy people whose lives looked nothing like mine. Her Instagram page and reflections were aspirational, but much closer to my version of reality (and my love of pattern and texture).
I sat on this book for a wild amount of time but I think that was the right thing to do. I wasn't ready to call myself out for the way my spending habits were impacting my present and future self.
Now that some time has passed and I'm no longer in survival mode, I came to this book with an open mind. After reading this I know a few things:
- My habits are absolutely an adult me making up for what a younger me couldn't have.
- Minimalism is a weighted term. My definition isn't going to look like everyone else's and it won't happen overnight.
- If there is going to be meaningful change in the way we think, live, and shop, we have to tackle the root causes and not just the surface level seasonal declutters are cute but only the beginning).
As someone with more familiarity on the topic, I found the first section of the book more helpful than the latter ones - the discussion questions and stories on the formation of attitudes around money and consumption but I appreciate the thoughtful range of contributors who's stories are shared as well as Christine's transparency in sharing her own path to living with less.
Recommend for anyone curious about tackling their own overspending/hoarding tendencies, overwhelmed by stuff and not just a lack of space, or looking for permission to do minimalism outside of beige Scandinavian aesthetics (even though I'm sick of people trash talking the beige lovers because personal style is personal).
aimeewoodworks's review
While I enjoyed the beginning, the rest was a little too repetitive, so I skimmed and enjoyed the blocked out anecdotes.
conniption_fitz's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
juliajjshields's review
5.0
“For the ancestors. Living with less is now our choice.”
I absolutely loved this book & am looking forward to returning back to it as time goes on. Not only does Platt share advice for minimalism, she does so in a culture context and goes into the psychology of ownership as well as having the reader reflect on the reasons they’ve reached a point of wanting to live with less in the first place. The only thing I would change is probably putting the “for the culture” pages at more fluid points between pages & the inclusion of her own quotes as breaks between paragraphs felt a bit odd. However, all of the information was so valuable, inspiring, & affirming. As I’m at the start of my own path towards less and defining minimalism by my own terms, this was a perfect guide.
I absolutely loved this book & am looking forward to returning back to it as time goes on. Not only does Platt share advice for minimalism, she does so in a culture context and goes into the psychology of ownership as well as having the reader reflect on the reasons they’ve reached a point of wanting to live with less in the first place. The only thing I would change is probably putting the “for the culture” pages at more fluid points between pages & the inclusion of her own quotes as breaks between paragraphs felt a bit odd. However, all of the information was so valuable, inspiring, & affirming. As I’m at the start of my own path towards less and defining minimalism by my own terms, this was a perfect guide.